Of the many mishaps that can occur to an automotive vehicle, sustaining a flat tire is one of the most exasperating and potentially dangerous as anyone knows that has ever attempted a roadside tire changing and repair. The laborious process of changing a damaged or flat tire includes jacking up the vehicle, unbolting the lug nuts that mount the tire to the wheel boss, removing the tire, replacing the damaged or flat tire with a good tire, remounting and correctly and firmly tightening the lug nuts, lowering the tire on the jack and then removing the jack for storage. However, as is well known, many motorists have little mechanical skills and are hesitant to attempt to undertake a potentially difficult mechanical action for which they have no preparation for and often in difficult conditions or dangerous locations. Moreover, even if the individual decides to change the tire, difficulties may be encountered in operating a jack that the individual is wholly unfamiliar with or in straining to remove lug nuts that have been overtorqued in mounting or have corroded to the point that they cannot be manually removed from the studs. Finally, it is usually the case that a flat tire occurs at the most inopportune time or the most dangerous condition, such as on a major highway during morning rush hour or during a driving thunderstorm or on a road without a berm thereby preventing the vehicle from being safely moved off the road.
In view of the above problems, automotive vehicles can be outfitted, either from the factory or as after market add-ons, with integrated or self-contained jacking systems. Such jacking systems can be pneumatically or hydraulically actuated to raise the entire vehicle or one portion of the vehicle.
For example, the Mueller et al. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,688) discloses a built-in power jack that includes pneumatic jacks attached to the front and rear suspensions and which can be coupled to the master brake cylinder for providing an anti-theft feature.
The Shelton patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,429) discloses a hydra-lift system that includes multi-chambered hydraulic jacks mounted to the vehicle frame with the jacks coupled to a hydraulic manifold for vertically raising the vehicle.
The Torres et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,688) discloses a self-contained vehicle lift system that includes hydraulic jack units operated from a central controller for selective retraction and extension to lift the vehicle off the ground.
The Mosley patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,957) discloses a vehicle mounted hydraulic jack system for lifting portions of a vehicle in which a hydraulic positioning assembly disposes each jack to the extended position and a solenoid controls the distribution of fluid to the jacks.
The Guzman et al. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,940) discloses a pneumatic jack system that includes pneumatic jacks mounted to the vehicle's suspension system with each jack including a key operated locking mechanism.
The Martin et al. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,641) discloses a vehicle mounted tire changing system that includes a plurality of hydraulic jacks mounted to the chassis and in flow communication with a hydraulic manifold for raising the vehicle.
The Dagnese patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,500) discloses a hydraulic automobile jack system that includes a fluid pump for delivering pressurized fluid to hydraulic jacks upon receipt of a park signal on the hydraulic jack control panel.
The Mejias et al. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,040 B1) discloses a vehicle lift system for lifting a corner of a vehicle that includes a pair of rails and associated hydraulic jacks and a processor system for controlling the operation of the jacks.
The Farmer patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,953 B1) discloses an automatic jack and wheel change system that includes a scissor jack that is raised by an electric motor and horizontal screw, and a novel wheel and hub-axle assembly.
Nonetheless, despite the ingenuity of the above devices, there remains a need for an automatic jacking system that can be mounted to the chassis or frame of a vehicle and which can safely and easily raise and lower the vehicle from a dashboard mounted control or from a remotely operable control.